[5 Fixes] XLS Cannot Be Accessed The File May Corrupt Error

Are you getting the error message: cannot be accessed. the file may be corrupted located on a server that is not responding or read-only in your Excel application?

When the Excel file gets corrupted it start showing various errors and the filename.xls cannot be accessed is one of them.

This is a very irritating situation you are unable to open or access your Excel workbook. And also it might happen the entire data stored in it becomes inaccessible.

So, here in this article follow the complete solution to fix xls cannot be accessed the file may corrupt error. But before that let’s find out the reasons responsible for getting Excel file cannot be accessed the file may be corrupted error.

What Does Xls Cannot Be Accessed Means?

You might be getting this error message while trying to open an Excel workbook:

“.xls cannot be accessed. The file may be read-only or you may be trying to access a read-only location or the server the document is stored or may not be responding.”

This error will obstacle you to access the Excel file and its contents. Well, this is very irritating and here check out the possible reasons responsible for the corruption.

What Causes Xls Cannot Be Accessed The File May Corrupt?

There is more than one reason responsible for the occurrence of the error messages. Here they are:

  • Excel file is located on a server that is currently unavailable.
  • The file you are trying to open is damaged or corrupted.
  • You don’t have sufficient permission to access the file.

How To Fix Cannot Be Accessed The File May Be Corrupted Excel Error?

1# Modify The Registry

  1. Hit the Windows + RKey from your keyboard and then enter the “regedit” text in the box. After that make a tap over the Ok button.
  2. Browse the following key
    • Sheet.12shelledit
  3. Locate the ddeexec and now set the value to this [open(“%1”,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,0)].
  4. Make a check across command value and then ensure that it is set to:
    • C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12Excel.exe” /dde

Note:

Keep in mind path is slightly different from the Office version you are currently been using.

2# Use Office 64-Bit Version

Behind this cannot be accessed the file may be corrupted error then the reason is the usage of MS Office 32-bit version over 64-bit version window’s PC.

Thus it is recommended to reinstall the MS Office application and make sure to install the 64-bit version of Office over the 64-bit version PC.

Also, ensure that you are using the updated version of MS Office.

3# Check The Length Of Excel Filename

Excel file cannot be accessed the file may be corrupted error also rises because of the lengthy filename size.

When .xls/.xlsx file name size crosses the maximum limit of 17 characters then issue it may start showing xlsx file cannot be accessed error.

To fix this, you need to rename the problematic Excel file and assign a short name to it.

4# Disable Read-Only File Mode

To fix Disable Read Only File Mode error manually, you need to perform the following operations:

  • If the file is marked read-only, then you need to modify the permission first.
  • Diagnose the server issue and correct them.
  • Check if the Excel file is read-only or on a read-only location or on a remote server.
  • And if you found that your file is on the remote server, then try copying the file from the read-only location or server to a writable drive on the local computer
  • Assure you remove the read-only attribute of the Excel file.

If still, you are getting the same issue with the Excel file then use your recent file backup to restore. If you don’t have a backup of an Excel file then it would be very irritating for you. In order to resolve the backup file issue, you need to use Excel Recovery Tool for safe and reliable repair and restoration of the Excel document.

Alternate Solution:MS Excel Repair Tool 

You can make use of the professional recommended MS Excel Repair Tool to repair and recover the corrupted, damaged, and inaccessible Excel files. This is the best repair utility that helps to fix all sorts of issues, corruption, and errors in the Excel file. It can easily restore all corrupt Excel files and also recover everything which includes cell comments, charts, worksheet properties, and other related data.

The corrupted excel file can be restored to a new blank Excel file. It has the ability to recover the complete data from the file and restore them even without modifying original formatting.

Try Now       Buy Now
* Free version of the product only previews recoverable data.

Steps to Utilize MS Excel Repair Tool:

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Conclusion:

So, in this way you can fix XLS cannot be accessed the file may corrupt error in Excel.

Try the given manual solutions one by one to fix filename.xls Excel errors.

Or if the Excel file is corrupted then make use of the automatic Excel repair tool to repair and recover the corrupted Excel file.

Apart from that be careful while handling the Excel file and follow the best preventive steps to protect the Excel files from getting corrupted.

Despite it, always create a valid backup of your Excel data and as well scan your system with a good antivirus program for virus and malware infection.

If, in case you have any additional questions concerning the ones presented, do tell us in the comments section below or you can also visit our Repair MS Excel.

Good Luck….



Priyanka is a content marketing expert. She writes tech blogs and has expertise in MS Office, Excel, and other tech subjects. Her distinctive art of presenting tech information in the easy-to-understand language is very impressive. When not writing, she loves unplanned travels.